National Advocacy

Latest News

Strong ACEC Turnout on Capitol Hill for Tax Reform, Energy and Infrastructure Investment
Hundreds of ACEC members converged on Capitol Hill during the Convention to make a strong case for infrastructure investment, tax reform, and other key priorities. Click Here for entire story.

ACEC/PAC on Pace for $1 Million Annual Fundraising
ACEC/PAC has raised a record $400,000 in the first four months of the year, continuing a record pace towards its $1 million goal. Click Here for entire story.

P3s Will Become More Prevalent Due to Lean Public Budgets
The Public-private partnership (P3) project model will become an increasingly common funding mechanism for both horizontal and vertical infrastructure. Click Here for entire story.

ACEC Member Action Alert: Reauthorize the Export-Import Bank
ACEC encourages Council members to contact their Senators and Representative to urge their support for reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank. Click Here for entire story.

Minuteman Fund Grant Helps ACEC/Idaho Win Passage of Transportation Funding in State Legislature
In a major victory for design professional firms in Idaho, the state legislature has approved a $95 million transportation funding measure. Click Here for entire story.

House to Vote on ACEC-backed Estate Tax Repeal
The House of Representatives will vote this week on legislation to repeal the federal estate tax. Click Here for entire story.

Wisconsin Uses “Group Effort” to Become Fifth State to Cross PAC Finish Line
ACEC/Wisconsin reached its ACEC/PAC goal this week, marking the 11th consecutive year that the state has met its target. Click Here for entire story.

DOL Proposed Revision of Fiduciary Rule Addresses ACEC Concerns
The DOL has re-proposed a rule that would change the circumstances under which investment advisors have a fiduciary duty. Click Here for entire story.

USDA to Invest $73 Million in Dam Rehabilitation and Assessment Projects
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest $73 million this year to fund 50 dam rehabilitation and 100 dam assessment projects in 23 states. Click Here for entire story.

Proposed Bill Would Boost Veteran Involvement in Infrastructure Projects
A bill recently introduced in San Francisco would require new buildings to have separate piping systems to capture and clean gray water. Click Here for entire story.

Proposed San Francisco Law would Require New Buildings to Use Recycled Water
A bipartisan group in the House of Representatives has filed legislation that would offer a percentage of construction jobs to veteran-owned businesses. Click Here for entire story.

ACEC/PAC on Million Dollar Pace In First Quarter
ACEC/PAC posted its best-ever fundraising numbers for the first quarter of 2015. Click Here for entire story.

ACEC/Maine Defeats Professional Services Tax Proposal
ACEC/Maine led members of the state legislature’s Taxation Committee to unanimously reject Governor Paul LePage’s proposed expansion of the state sales tax to include professional services. Click Here for entire story.

Annual H-1B Visa Cap Reached in Less than One Week
The statutory cap on high-skilled visas was reached less than one week after the application window opened. Click Here for entire story.

Interactive Map Shows State-by-State Statistics on Deficient Bridges
More than 61,000 American bridges are structurally deficient, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Click Here to access.

White House Panel Makes Recommendations for Boosting Trade with Africa
A panel of 15 private sector experts, which was vice-chaired by Black & Veatch CFO Karen Daniel, presented its draft recommendations on Wednesday for increasing U.S. trade with Africa. Click Here for entire story.

U.S. DOT to Provide $500 Million in New TIGER Funding
Secretary Anthony Foxx announced last week $500 million in TIGER grants for innovative projects around the country. Click Here for entire story.

Member Lobbying During ACEC Convention Will Be “Great Opportunity” to Influence Critical Infrastructure Debate
Congress will be addressing transportation funding, energy markets, and tax code reform when ACEC’s Citizen Lobbyists meet with their Congressional delegations. Click Here for entire story.

ACEC Continues to Advocate Comprehensive Tax Reform
ACEC and a broad coalition of business organizations are keeping up the pressure for tax reform that treats C corporations and pass-through businesses. Click Here for entire story.

ACEC Stays on Front Lines to Defend Cash Accounting
The Council is teaming with other business organizations—and farmers—to ask Congress to protect cash accounting. Click Here for entire story.

Schloesser Joins ACEC to Direct Energy and Environment Programs
Lynn Schloesser has built a distinguished career in both the public and private sector in the energy and environment arena. Click Here for entire story.

Nation’s Mayors Call for Increased Transportation Funding
A U.S. Conference of Mayors task force has called on Congress to increase transportation funding. Click Here for entire story.

U.S. Port, Waterways Maintenance Funds Likely to Run Surplus Despite Backlog of Projects
Funds established by Congress to fund ports and waterways infrastructure, will likely take in more revenue than they spend in 2016. Click Here for entire story.

Obama Administration Sets Rules for Fracking on Federal Land
The Obama Administration released rules to improve basic protections for drinking water on federally owned land. Click Here for entire story.

DOT Inspector General to Audit Federal Funding of State Highway Programs
The Department of Transportation (DOT) Inspector General is launching an audit of state highway spending. Click Here for entire story.

Governor Brown Signs $1 Billion Water Plan for California
Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation last week to speed up $1 billion in water infrastructure spending for the state. Click Here for entire story.

Congress to Take Up Four Ex-Im Bank Reauthorization Bills
Four bills have been introduced in Congress to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank before its charter expires on June 30. Click Here for entire story.

House Adopts Budget Blueprint for Fiscal Year 2016
The budget includes a provision to accommodate increased transportation infrastructure funding, a top Council priority. Click Here for entire story.

Delaware Crosses the ACEC/PAC Finish Line: Meeting Goal Early is “High Priority”
ACEC/Delaware reached its ACEC/PAC goal this week, marking the ninth consecutive year that the state has met its target. Click Here for entire story.

Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Advocates Increased Investment in Port Infrastructure
Chairman Mario Cordero said that unless the United States invests in long-term maritime infrastructure, the flow of goods through the nation’s ports will slow to a trickle. Click Here for entire story.

Legislation Introduced to Provide Federal Water Infrastructure Grants
The bill would create the Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability program for state and local governments. Click Here for entire story.

Administration Orders Federal Government to Cut Emissions by 40 Percent
President Obama signed an executive order requiring the federal government to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent within next decade. Click Here for entire story.

Fitch Rating Agency Calls For Raising Federal Gas Tax
Raising the federal gas tax would be the best way to meet the nation’s tranpsortation needs over the short term. Click Here for entire story.

Four States Report Delaying Highway Projects Due to Federal Funding Uncertainty
U.S. DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx announces four states putting transportation projects on hold. Click Here for entire story.

ACEC Advocates for Transportation Fund in Budget Resolution
House and Senate Budget Committees presenting their spending blueprints for FY16 this week. Click Here for entire story.

ACEC Urges Congress to Fund P3 Pilot Program
ACEC President/CEO Dave Raymond urged lawmakers in the House this week to support funding for the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Public-Private Partnership Pilot Program. Click Here for entire story.

NASA Scientist Says California Has One Year of Water Supply in Reservoirs
Data from NASA satellites reveal that total water storage in Calironia has been in steady decline since 2002. Click Here for entire story.

DOE Report Says Wind Power Will Be Cost Competitive Within 10 Years
Wind Vision: A New Era for Wind Power in the United States, projects dramatic growth for the wind industry through 2050. Click Here for entire story.

Inhofe and Graves to Address ACEC Convention on Long-Term Transportation Legislation and Procurement Issues
Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) and Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) will discuss reauthorization of MAP-21 during at the upcoming 2015 ACEC Convention and Legislative Summit, April 19-22 in Washington, DC. Click Here for entire story.

ACEC Member Action Alert to Protect Municipal Bonds
ACEC encourages Council Members to contact their Representatives and urge them to sign a bipartisan letter that supports tax-exempt municipal bonds. Click Here for entire story.

South Carolina Surpasses Annual PAC Target, “Understands Importance of Sustained Political Involvement”
ACEC/South Carolina has met its ACEC/PAC fundraising goal for the eleventh consecutive year, becoming the third state organization in 2015. Click Here for entire story.

CBO Reports $416 Billion in Public Infrastructure Spending in 2014; Majority Spent on Maintenance and Operations
According to the report 57 percent of the public funds were spent on operating expenses and maintenance, while 43 percent was spent on new projects. Click Here for entire story.

USACE Moves Forward with $134.5M Contract to Begin Savannah Harbor Expansion
The expansion of the port, which is the nation’s fourth-busiest container port and second largest on the East Coast. Click Here for entire story.

ACEC Member Action Alert: Urge Your Representative to Protect Municipal Bonds
ACEC has joined with major state and local government organizations in urging Congress to protect the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds. Click Here for entire story.

ACEC/Hawaii is Second State to Reach 2015 PAC Goal
ACEC/Hawaii met its ACEC/PAC fundraising goal this week. Click Here for entire story.

U.S. Utility-Scale Solar Power Has Best Year Ever
2014 was the best year yet for utility-scale solar power installations with more than 3.7 GW installed, according to SNL Energy. Click Here for entire story.

Supermajority in House Calls for Quick Action on Long-Term Transportation Funding
The letter won the support of 285 members of Congress, including 155 Democrats and 130 Republicans. Click Here for entire story.

Minuteman Fund Grant Supports ACEC/Metro Washington and ACEC/Virginia Amicus Brief
ACEC has awarded a Minuteman Fund grant to ACEC/Metro Washington and ACEC/Virginia to help defray the cost of an amicus brief. Click Here for entire story.

Duke Energy Pays $102 Million Fine for Coal Ash Violations; EPA Finalizes National Regulations
Duke Energy has agreed to pay a $102 million fine. The fine includes $34 million for mitigation. Click Here for entire story.

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On behalf of ACEC Arkansas and ASPE, I am proud to announce we are accepting registrations for the 2016-2017 Arkansas Engineering Emerging Leaders Program! The Arkansas Engineering Emerging Leaders Program is an eight session program that features curriculum focusing on right-brain thinking – the people skills associated with business management and the creative, visionary skills required of effective leaders.

Qualifications-Based Selection Resource Center

Issue

In 1972, Congress adopted the Brooks Act (P.L. 95-582), requiring the use of Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) for the procurement of architect and engineering services. The use of QBS ensures that federal agencies — and the taxpayer — receive highly technical architect and engineering services from the most experienced and most qualified firms at a fair and reasonable cost. QBS is used by all federal agencies, 46 state governments, and many localities throughout the country. It works because: